Walker Montgomery Talks ‘Work To Do,’ His Most Traditional EP To Date

Rising country star Walker Montgomery is set to release a brand new six-song EP, Work To Do, on Friday, September 15. 

The project highlights Montgomery’s musical passion while also showcasing his husky baritone voice. Three of the six tracks, including “Lonely for a Livin’,” “Work To Do,” and “Tired of You,” have already been released ahead of the project’s official debut, adding to the excitement surrounding the upcoming release.

The Kentucky native is son of John Michael Montgomery and nephew of Montgomery Gentry’s Eddie Montgomery, so country music is in his blood. While he was born into a country music family, he has paved his own way, and this new EP further showcases his talents.

We recently caught up with Walker Montgomery to chat about the project. Keep reading to learn more.

What was the inspiration behind this album? 

It seems like every single project or song that I’ve done has leaned more and more traditional. This has definitely been the most traditional EP that I’ve done and that’s really the main thing. We just wanted to release some really good country music. 

How would you best describe this EP to fans and what are you hoping that they take away from listening to these six songs?

I would say there’s just a little something for everybody. We’ve got two up-tempos, two mid-tempos, and two two love ballads in there. We didn’t really plan that either, but it just kind of worked out that way. You’re going to hear a lot of steel, a lot of fiddle, and a lot of stuff that you’ve never really heard in my music until now. 

You recently released visualizers for “Lonely for a Livin’” and “Work to Do.” What can you tell us about these clips?

They were both filmed at a place called “The Underdog” in East Nashville.  We were just doing a photo shoot for these two songs there, so we figured we might as well do a little video for them too. It is a great little bar and it is kind of set up as two different bars. One side is kind of  70’s looking and the other side is old honky tonk.

Tell us about the official music video for the song “Tired of You.”

“Tired Of You” is the song that I am really really passionate about. As soon as I heard it, I knew I had to cut it and do a full music video for it. It’s such a simple song, so we wanted to do more of a simple music video. There’s not that many crazy shots on the music video, but my mom thinks it is the prettiest music video that I’ve ever done. We’ve got flowers and stuff in it, so she really likes it. I’m just really passionate about this song, so I wanted to do everything that I could for it. 

Can you talk a little bit about what the creative process is like working with all of these different songwriters on this project?
(Songwriters that contributed to the EP include: Jim Collins, Trent Tomlinson, Mark Iwrin, Walker Montgomery, Adam Wood, Tony Martin, Josh Thompson, Neil Thrasher, Cary Barlowe, Brett Tyler, Bart Butler, Jamie Paulin, John Pierce, Cooper Bascom, Jack Hummel, Kaylin Roberson)

It was great. I’ve got Bart Butler producing me for the first time. This is our first project together and working with him was a treat. We sat down earlier this year and kind of figured out exactly what noise we wanted to make. He knew what I wanted and obviously, I knew his capabilities. It’s been really fun working with him, and everybody else. The musicians don’t get enough credit and the musicians that played on this EP were top of the line. They were absolutely amazing and we’ve had countless good experiences. 

What is the story behind the song “Lonely for a Livin’?”

My buddy Trent Tomlinson sent me that song. I’m always trying to find songs that can push me out of my comfort zone, and “Lonely for a Livin’” was one of those songs. I’ve never really done a song that had that much attitude to it, but we got in there and we tried it a couple different ways in the studio. We finally landed on how we did it, and I’m glad that we did. It’s a little something different than what I’ve done before. 

I know you are from Kentucky, so I’m curious how this background influences your music. 

Kentucky was a great place to grow up and I hit the jackpot by being born there.  I think on the daily, being from Kentucky influences my music, but it also influences so much more in my life than just that. The fact that I’m from Kentucky encompasses everything that I do.

At the end of September, you will return to Kentucky to perform at PBR. What will this be like for you as your EP will just be recently released?

I’ve never performed at the PBR in Louisville, so I’m pumped up for it first of all. Having home state shows is always fun. My dad was always the same way growing up. It seemed like he played everywhere but Kentucky. Luckily I have been able to do a couple of shows there this year, but it’s been few and far in between. I’m excited for it though and having the new EP out will make it all the more special. 

In celebration of the release of his new EP, Montgomery will play a live show at The Eighth Room in Nashville on September 13. Click HERE for details and a complete list of upcoming tour dates.

Fans can follow Walker Montgomery on Instagram HERE.